How many Catholics are there in Britain?

Pope Benedict XVI is the head of the biggest Christian denomination in the world, some one billion Roman Catholics, or one in six people. In Britain there are about five million Catholics, or about one in 12 people.

As he arrives in the UK for the first visit by a pontiff since 1982, what do statistics tell us about the state of the Roman Catholic Church in this country?

According to the 2001 census, there were 41 million Christians in Great Britain, making up almost three quarters of the population (72%). This group included the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church in Wales, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations.

How this 41 million breaks down is harder to work out. The Church of England says about 26 million people have been baptised, the Catholic Church claims just over four million members in England and Wales - and another 695,000 in Scotland. Out of a total population of about 60 million, that means about one in 12 people in Great Britain is Catholic.


Figures for church attendance suggest both the Catholic and Anglican churches suffered a gradual fall in numbers up to around the turn of the century, but since then numbers appear to have more or less stabilised.

Numbers from the Catholic Directory suggest that currently about one million Catholics in England and Wales regularly attend mass. But according to the Catholic National Library, figures for mass attendance were not kept before 1989 and therefore no comparison is possible with the 1982 papal visit.

The Bishops' Conference of Scotland says an estimated 184,283 attended mass regularly in 2008. There's no equivalent figure for All Ireland - but the Catholic directory says there were an estimated 4.3 million Catholics living in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2008.


Figures for the number of men entering the priesthood show that after a fairly steep decline in the late 1980s and 90s, the numbers have begun to pick up again.

The Christian Research group which looks at trends in Christian faiths in Britain says numbers have stabilised in recent years - contrary to its claim in 2007 that congregations would continue to decline.

It seems numbers for the Catholic Church may have been boosted by an influx of immigrants - from Eastern Europe and Africa. While rural congregations have been dwindling, inner city churches have seen numbers rise.


The National Secular Society feels any boost in numbers will be shortlived. It estimates there will only be 101,700 Catholics attending church annually by 2050, compared to the current total of about one million.


Figures gathered by the National Centre for Social Research show that membership of most religions is lower now than it was 30 years ago, with a marked decline appearing among people who say they belong to the Church of England from 40 to 20%.

By comparison, the numbers of those claiming to be Catholic has remained fairly stable, dropping only 1% from 10 to 9% since 1983.


The number of people of all faiths attending church services appears to be at a low ebb, with 58% of those polled saying they never attend services.

But attendance does peak at Christmas. According to Church of England statistics, 35% of the population attend a Christmas service of some sort, rising to 42% in London.

Pope calls new bishops to a 'service of love' in imitation of Christ

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2010 / (CNA/EWTN News).-

Addressing a gathering of new bishops on Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI said the life of the bishop should be “a service of love” and a “continual oblation to God.” He told the prelates to imitate Christ in poverty and humility and to find strength and wisdom in the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Father met with 102 new bishops from mission territories in 40 countries on Saturday morning in the Swiss Hall of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, L’Osservatore Romano reports.
The prelates, all of whom have been appointed in the last year, are taking part in a seminar promoted by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples to assist them as they begin their new ministry.

Welcoming their visit to Rome to deepen their knowledge of their responsibilities as bishops and to renew their profession of faith at the tomb of St. Peter, Pope Benedict XVI told the participants that "the Church places not (a) few hopes" in them.

He went on to remind them of some of their duties to the faithful, noting that these are made more difficult by challenges such as poverty and persecution. "To you," he said, "awaits the task of feeding their hope, of sharing in their difficulties, inspiring yourselves in the charity of Christ which consists of attention, tenderness, compassion, (a spirit of) welcoming, availability and interest in the problems of the people for whom you are disposed to give your lives."

In each task, Benedict XVI emphasized, the bishops are sustained by the Holy Spirit, through which they were "configured" to Christ in their ordinations. "In fact," he added, "the episcopal ministry is understood only starting with Christ, the source of the single and supreme priesthood, of which the bishop is made participant."

Calling the bishops to imitate Christ the "humble and poor" servant, he said they can remain ever close to Him through frequent contemplation in prayer and adoration. "The life of the bishop," he explained, "should be a continual oblation to God for the salvation of his Church, and especially for the salvation for the souls that are entrusted to him."

In this pastoral attititude of giving lies the bishop's "true dignity," the Pope added, explaining that it derives from making himself the servant of all “to the point of giving his own life.”

“The episcopate, in fact, - as the priesthood - must not be misunderstood according to mundane categories. It is a service of love," he said.

"The bishop is called to serve the Church with the style of God made man, becoming ever more fully a servant of the Lord and a servant of humanity."

Referring to their "primary duty" of announcing the Word of God while also administering the sacraments, the Pope said that to be convincing in their ministry, they must “believe and live what they announce and celebrate."

Concluding his remarks by noting that their wisdom and strength to witness to salvation and peace comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, Pope Benedict told the new bishops "He will guide the paths of your episcopal ministry."